Goal: Protect villagers in the Kiradalli Tanda village of India from arsenic poisoning resulting from gold mining

A gold mine in the Kiradalli Tanda village of the Yadgir district in India is leaking toxic chemicals, poisoning a nearby village’s water supply with arsenic. The village is located four kilometers from the mine, and inhabitants are suffering the consequences of mine pollution.

A recent study found there to be 30 times the allowed limit of arsenic in the village’s drinking water supply. Villagers have been hospitalized with numerous cases of skin diseases and cancer. The study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, states that the arsenic could have come from mine tailings due to the gold extraction process.

Arsenic poisoning is a growing problem in this area for local villagers. Dipankar Chakraborty, the author of the arsenic study, stated, “Several villagers were hospitalized with skin-related problems. Doctors suspected arsenic in drinking water and requested us to investigate.”

According to an article by the Environmental News Network, although the study found an average 30 times the allowed limit of arsenic across water samples, several samples had 200 times this limit. Arsenic contamination due to gold mining is not a new problem. According to Debashish Chatterjee, former deputy director-general of the Geological Survey of India, arsenic is usually present in geological areas in which gold mines are found.

To leave these villagers without safe, untainted drinking water is immoral. Not only should the Indian government provide adequate drinking water to villages affected by the arsenic pollution, but serious steps must be taken to reevaluate how gold mines are managed in order to avoid arsenic contamination in the future. Sign below to demand the Indian government step in and stand up for the well-being of its people.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Indian Government,

Villagers living in Kiradalli Tanda are suffering from high numbers of skin disease and cancer prognoses due to the village’s proximity to a nearby gold mine.

The mine, which is only four kilometers away, is responsible for leaking arsenic into the village’s water supply. A study conducted by scientists in the village discovered that the contaminated water had arsenic levels 30 times over the legal limit of 10 parts per billion. This arsenic pollution is responsible for sending villagers to the hospital for cancer and skin irritations.

Management of gold mines, like this one, is an issue that will have serious implications for public health and well-being. The people living in the Kiradalli Tanda village cannot be left alone without a viable water source and to cope with the effects of arsenic poisoning. This is simply unacceptable.

Please intervene on behalf of these villagers and supply them with safe drinking water immediately. In the long term, there must be better monitoring of gold mines and possible arsenic leaks. If a gold mine is unsafe, it ought to be shut down until it can operate without threatening the lives of individuals and families who don’t have the political clout or financial means to help themselves.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

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Photo credit: India Current Affairs

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